Chelsea academy striker Jude Soonsup-Bell is going to leave the club this month.

The Athletic reported in November that the highly-rated forward, who turns 19 next week, was considering his future at Chelsea and this was likely going to be his last season at Stamford Bridge.

Soonsup-Bell’s current deal expires in the summer, but talks over an extension stalled last January when he began to consider his future. The teenager has now decided to bring forward his departure.

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Clubs in the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe have been monitoring the situation and are ready to take advantage of Soonsup-Bell becoming available. The terms of his exit will have to be discussed between Chelsea and his next team, but won’t be a problem.

The teenager made his senior debut for Chelsea under previous coach Thomas Tuchel just 13 months ago and has been touted as a great prospect at the club’s academy for some time.

For example, during the 2019-20 campaign, he scored 26 goals in all competitions for various Chelsea youth sides in just 17 appearances. In February 2021, he became the first Chelsea player in 59 years to score four times in a FA Youth Cup tie.

Despite playing just 122 minutes for the Under-21s in the Premier League 2 this season, he has still scored two goals and registered an assist.  

One of the reasons for Soonsup-Bell’s departure, after seven enjoyable years at Chelsea, is that he is considering the pathway into the first team and that he will benefit from going elsewhere.

(Photo: Getty Images)